


An Adventure In Friendship, Math, and Cookie Dough

by princesandpirates



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-05 18:09:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15868983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princesandpirates/pseuds/princesandpirates
Summary: It's the second week of high school, and Pidge is dedicated to flying under the radar. Too bad her math teacher has other plans.(Alternatively described as "a story about friendship and math and cookie dough and missing brothers and fake names and secret lovers," but i thought that was a little too dramatic.)





	An Adventure In Friendship, Math, and Cookie Dough

**Author's Note:**

> hey there's a reason i only write scripts and chatfics and this is just more evidence

   Lunchtime. I furtively pull my lunch out of my backpack, making sure I’m out of sight of the librarians. Once I’m sure I’m not going to be yelled at, I open my laptop and pull up the program I had been working on last night. School only started a week ago, but it was good to be ahead in your classes, right? Especially if that class was AP Computer Science and you were just a freshman who happened to have just the right connections to get into Mr. Wimbleton-Smythe’s class.

   Eating lunch by myself is my choice, I remind myself. I could easily sit with Allura and Adam, the two most familiar faces. But, no matter how close we’d gotten in the past year, uber-popular seniors wouldn’t wouldn’t want to sit with dorky freshmen. It just doesn’t happen. And I didn’t want to sit with Acxa and the other lesbians. I might fit in, but I didn’t particularly like any of them.

   So I eat lunch among the books and my homework.

* * *

   A piece of paper hits me in the head. The boy sitting in front of me must have thrown it behind him when I didn’t immediately take it from him. Frowning, I look at the assignment.

   “Ok class. You’re going to be making study sheets to help you with the functions you’ll be learning this year. You’ll need to include the parent function, the domain and range, the asymptotes, the transformation form, the inverse, an example, and how to solve for x for linear functions, quadratic functions, power functions, exponential functions, logarithmic functions, and logistic functions.”

   The entire class groans. I scan the sheet, but I don’t see the information I’m looking for. I raise my hand and speak without being called on. “When are these due?”

   “Monday.”

   More groaning.

   “But don’t worry, I’ll be putting you into groups of three.” The teacher pulls out a cup with popsicle sticks in it, which I assume have students names written on them. I can’t believe teachers still pull this kind of shit in high school. I zone out until I hear my name called.

   “Pidge Gunderson, Lance McClain, and Hunk Garrett.”

   I look around the room for my partners I spot a boy in a blue baseball tee and a boy in a yellow long-sleeved shirt sitting next to each other by the door doing a complicated handshake. These must be them.

   “You have the rest of class to start working.”

   As I make my way over to their desks, I hear one of them, the one in blue, ask, “Who the heck is Pidge Gunderson?”

   “Right here,” I respond, waving shyly. I pull a nearby vacant desk so it’s facing them and sit. “Should we start?”

   “Why have we never seen you before?” the boy in blue asks, ignoring my question. “Are you a social recluse or something?”

   “I mean, yeah, but I’m also a freshman.”

   “You’re in precalc as a freshman?” the one in yellow asks.

   I shrug. “I like math.”

   The boy in blue leans back. “Literally who are you.”

   “I’m Pidge.” A foul attempt at making a joke.

   “Right. Anyways, I’m Hunk, and he’s Lance,” the one in yellow, I mean, _Hunk_ says.

   I brush over their introductions. Can’t go making friends if I want to fade into the background. “Listen. I’m good at math. I’m good at this. I can do this entire project myself and I’ll put your names on it. You don’t have to do a thing. It’ll be fine.”

   “Nah, we wouldn’t do that to you,” Lance says without a second thought. “Could we come over after school today and work on it?”

   So much for flying under the radar. “I guess…”

   Hunk beams. “Great! Here.” He shoves his phone at me. “Put in your phone number so we can make a group chat.” I oblige, and not even two seconds later my phone buzzes with a text.

**Unknown Number:** welcome to the squad!!

**Me:** so i’m assuming that’s Hunk, and the other number is Lance?

**Lance:** yep :)

**Hunk:** pidge what’s your address

**Lance** : so we can get there

**Lance:** u know

**Me:** 12 Maple Ave

   “Got it!” Hunk says out loud. “We’ll be there around 4?”

   “Sounds good,” I reply just as the bell rings.

* * *

    I’m in the middle of freshman English, listening to Mr. Beltmatchi drone on about Lord of the Flies when I feel my backpack vibrate. Looking around, I notice that everyone else is on their phones, and Mr. Beltmatchi isn’t paying attention anyway. I lean down and grab my phone.

**Lance:** FUCK dude i miss him so much

**Lance:** why’d he have to be such a dumbass

   I’m perplexed for a few moments until I get another text.

**Lance:** oh fuck sorry pidge that was only meant to go to hunk.

**Hunk:** watch ur language around the freshman

   Smirking, I type back:

**Me:** yeah Lance what the fuck

   I feel validated when my phone buzzes with one last message.

**Lance:** D:

* * *

   The doorbell rings and I pad downstairs. “Bae Bae, _hush_ ,” I practically hiss to my yapping dog as I open the door. Lance and Hunk step inside.

   “I usually do my work in the kitchen, is that okay?” I ask.

   “Oh dude, me too,” says Hunk at the same time Lance says “Yeah sure.” I smile and lead them towards the table.

* * *

   Half an hour later I’m bent over the textbook, dictating answers to Lance, who’s writing, and Hunk is shouting comments at us while making cookie dough (“I think you have a good system down,” he said. “I’ll just...you know…”).

   “Ooh, Lance, look!” Hunk comes barreling towards the table, framed photograph in hand. “Look at Pidge and her giiiiiirlfriend!”

   I look at the photo he chose.

   “That’s not a photo of me and my girlfriend. This is a photo of me and my girlfriend,” I say, pulling out my phone to find a recent photo of me and Isabella. I finally find a good one, the one where I’m in show blacks and she’s in her Wendy Darling costume. We had worked on Peter Pan together at the local theatre over the summer. It’s a pretty cute photo, if I say so myself. But I’m a little biased.

   “Ooh, she’s pretty,” says Lance.

   “Yeah,” I respond. “But you’re not her type.”

   Hunk snorts and high fives me.

   “Wait, then who’s this?” Lance asks.

   I turn away, suddenly shy. I figured everyone already knew, but when you switch schools and start using a fake name to avoid rumors, well, rumors avoid you. “That’s me and my brother.”

   Recognition clicks in the boys’ eyes. “Oh my god, didn’t he go missing about a year ago? I mean...shit. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to overstep.” Hunk looks embarrassed.

   “Don’t worry about it,” I say, trying to disguise the fresh wave of emotion suddenly rolling to the surface. “Matt’s always been rebellious, so he’s probably off doing some random adventurous shit right now. He’s such a manic pixie dream boy. My parents just overreacted.”

   “Oh.”

   “Yeah. I mean don’t get me wrong, I miss him a lot, but when I look in the mirror and see him, I know that he’s okay.”

   There’s a silence. Neither Hunk nor Lance know what to say, and I don’t really blame them. It wasn’t the most comfortable study group topic.

   “That’s...really sweet,” Lance says at last.

   “Can we get back to the project?” I ask.

   “Yeah.”

* * *

   Hunk comes back into the room a few minutes later with a bowl of cookie dough and three spoons. “It’s better when you eat it raw. There’s that sense of excitement. Like, will I get salmonella? It’s fun.” Lance enthusiastically digs in. I continue pouring over the textbook.

   “Holy shit Hunk, this is so good,” Lance practically moans.

   “Watch your fucking language,” I say sarcastically.

   The boys look at me, stunned, and then burst into laughter. I laugh along. It feels nice.

   My phone buzzes with an actual call. I note the name as I pick up.

   “What do you want?” I ask bluntly. When you’ve known someone practically your entire life, you’re allowed to be rude. It’s the first rule of friendship.

   “It’s 2018. Who _calls_ people?” Lance asks to nobody in particular.

   “Can I come over? I’m about to lose my fucking mind.”

   “Let me check.” I pull my phone away from my mouth and ask Lance and Hunk, “Hey, is it okay if my friend comes over? They won’t interrupt us.” I think for a moment. “They _probably_ won’t interrupt us.”

   “Sure,” says Lance and I echo his words into the phone.

   “Cool. Be there in 5,” Keith responds in my ear.

* * *

   The door bangs open and Keith’s voice floats through the house. “Acxa is driving me up the fucking wall.”

   “There’s peanut butter M&Ms in the pantry,” I call back to him.

   “You’re a lifesaver, _Katerina_.”

   “Anything for you, _Yorak_.”

   “Touche.”

   I hear rustling as Keith looks for the coveted M&Ms. Lance turns five shades of red and leans close to me. “Why is Keith fucking Kogane in your house?”

   “You said he could come over?”

   Lance and Hunk lock eyes. I didn’t think it was possible for Lance to get any redder, but he did. Hunk gave him a playful nudge with his shoulder.

   “Whatever,” Lance mumbles. “We need to finish this.” He turns back to the paper in front of him with laser-like focus.

   I turn back to the textbook, fully prepared to get back to work, when my phone buzzes.

**Keith:** why is lance FUCKING mcclain in your house

**Me:** project

   “There’s no need to text me. I’m right here,” I shout to Keith.

   Keith walks to the table and stands directly behind my chair, M&M bag in hand. He hands a few to me. “Don’t fucking expose me like this, Holt. And besides, you texted me back.”

   I roll my eyes. “Let us work, Yorak.”

   “Stop calling me that.”

   I snort. “Stop calling me elaborate fake versions of my name and I’ll start using your middle name.”

   “Never gonna happen, Katherynne.” He hands me a couple more M&Ms.

   Lance looks at us in disbelief. “You’re not Keith? And you’re not Pidge?”

   “My life is a lie,” Hunk says.

   Keith changes the subject. “Can I help?”

   “No,” says Lance playfully. “You’ve been lying to me for too long.”

   “I’m literally going insane. I have nothing to do all day and then Acxa comes home and yells at me for not doing anything all day. I’m bored as fuck.”

   “When’s your suspension over?” I ask.

   “Day after tomorrow, thank god.”

   “I can’t believe you got caught smoking on the literal first day of school and you have to go back on a Friday,” Hunk says.

   “It sucks. So bad,” Keith complains. “I’m so bored, I was bored before school even started again. Let me help.”

   “NERD! Fine,” Lance concedes.

   “What’s it on?” Keith asks.

   “Inverse logistic functions.”

   “LMAO nope bye,” says Keith as he leaves the room, still holding the bag of M&Ms.

   A pause, then, “Did Keith just say ‘LMAO’ out loud?”

* * *

   “How do you and Keith know each other?” Lance asks. He says it almost absent-mindedly, but I can tell he’s been wanting to ask from the moment Keith opened my door.

   I don’t feel like answering. I don’t feel like talking about Matt right now. “How do _you_ and Keith know each other?”

   “We’re in the same grade,” mumbles Lance and the same time Keith calls from the other room, “WE DON’T.”

   Lance turns red. Again. I send a knowing look to Hunk, who very purposely stares at nothing. I nod. “Uh-huh.” Smiling mischievously, I lean into Lance. “Do you liiiiike Keith?” I ask, drawing out the words in a teasing way.

   He spins towards me so fast Matt’s glasses nearly fly off my head. “Do I...what? No. Why would you think that? What on Earth...you know what? You know what I think? I bet _you_ like Keith and you’re just saying that to throw me off. Fuck you. Fuck this project. I’m out.”

   He storms out of the room.

   “Wait,” I call, but Lance is very deliberately not hearing me. Hunk scoots his chair closer to me. “What the fuck just happened?” I ask.

   “Let him cool off. He’ll be back soon.”

   “I’m sorry, I didn’t…”

   He nods. “I know. He’s not actually mad. In the meantime, we still have half a bowl of cookie dough. How much of this stupid project do we have left?”

* * *

   At long, long last, we were finished! Hunk and I lean back, the cheat sheets laying on the table in front of us. He holds his hand out for a high five and, grinning, I slap it.

   “We did it!” Hunk cheers.

   “We should tell Lance,” I say jumping out of my seat.

   “Uh, maybe we should…”

   “LANCE,” I call, running through the house in an attempt to find my missing groupmate. “WE FINoh.”

   There, laying on the couch, the couch in my house, the couch in my house where I have sat, were Keith and Lance. Making out.

   Lance quickly rights himself. “Uh, Pidge, you were saying?”

   “The...uh...we finished the project.”

   Hunk stands in the doorway. “I tried to tell her not to, but…”

   Keith still lays on the couch, his jacket askew and hair a mess. “Nah, Katie’s cool. She won’t tell anyone,” Keith says.

   “Aw, thanks Keith,” I say sweetly, but then change my tone overdramatically. “But you know the rules. Get out of my house.”

   He puts his feet on the floor, stretches. “Yeah, I should go. Besides, it feels weird to be making out in a place where Takashi and Matt definitely did...that and more,” Keith teases.

   “Great. Thanks for the mental image, Kogane,” I shoot back.

   He laughs. “I probably should go anyways,” Keith says. He turns to Lance. “Do you want to pick this up at my place?”

   This time, Lance isn’t the only one to turn red. All three of us blush.

   “Yeah,” Lance says a little too quickly. “But...um...I’m Hunk’s ride.”

   “So drop me off at my house and go make out with your secret boyfriend, Lance! I swear,” Hunk says.

   I snort. “You’re going to need to work a lot harder to keep that secret.”

   “I WAS BLINDSIDED!” yells Lance. “I HAD MY DEFENSES DOWN!”

* * *

   Lunchtime. I keep my head ducked as I scurry through the halls towards the library.

   Motion directly in front of me makes me look up. “Pidge!”

   Lance and Hunk stand directly in front of me, heading towards the cafeteria. “Where are you going?”

   “Uh, the library?”

   “Why?” asks Hunk.

   “It’s lunchtime,” says Lance.

   “I know,” I say.

   Hunk and Lance exchange a smile and then link arms with me. “C’mon.”

   So I eat lunch among my friends.


End file.
